Manchester Attacks Trigger the Cancellation of Wonder Woman Premiere

As has been widely reported, England was recently befallen by tragedy with the bombing at Ariana Grande’s show in Manchester. More than 20 lives were claimed that day. Expectedly, the incident has put the country on edge and even caused some studios to rearrange their programs regarding promotional events in the area.

It seems Warner Bros. has opted to cancel the London premiere of Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman in the face of such tragedy. After all, better safe than sorry. The theatrical debut was scheduled for June 2. Universal followed the move by canceling the premiere of The Mummy.

Variety has confirmed that Warner Bros. canceled the show following the deadly attack. It is not difficult to see why the studio would do that. The United Kingdom was forced to increase security measures after the attack that left 22 dead and more wounded. The Prime Minister Theresa May officially raised the country’s threat level to critical.

Normally, a major premiere brings people across geographical locations to one place which means that it would cause safety concerns anywhere, even without a looming terrorist threat. The concerns clearly outweigh the benefits and opportunities such an event brings.

Ultimately, this only seems like a minor setback regarding Wonder Woman as it will still proceed with the Los Angeles Premiere. The film enjoyed a strong buzz from its previews and it is likely to perform very well even without the London Premiere. The big picture considered, calling off the Premiere seems like the smart call for both the people of London and Warner Bros. According to The Wrap, they are not alone in this, The Mummy, which also premiered around the same time has been canceled.

While responding to the tragedy and explaining their reasons for the cancellation, they issued a statement saying:

“We remain, in thought with those affected by the recent tragedy in the UK. In light of the situation, as it now sits, we will not continue with our plans for the Wonder Woman premiere in London.”

Of course, the importance of such a film especially in the face of tragedy is not lost to us. The film follows Diana Prince leaving her home on the mysterious Themyscira fight on the battlefields of World War 1. The film is entirely about finding hope even in war and its message is timely especially due to recent events.

Despite its cancellation, we are still excited for the worldwide release of the film.